Love Changes Everything
by Morphin' in
Summary: My Muses are being detained by Isthaldur, but here's an Adam/Carlos piece for you. This will eventually be a collection of my fics for pyramid dares.
1. To You, I Will Always Return

**A/N:** Slash (but in my fics that's a given, maybe I should warn about het instead?)  
Written for **pyramid_dares** level 1 and beta'd by Blacktiger_550 (much love!). Some details I should make clear at this point - an elestrialite is a fictional stone (you'll understand later) and I'm going with Andros' nationality as 'Kerovian' (it's logical). I am aware of some current issues with US regulations regarding same-sex unions, but I'm invoking artistic license here. The pieces I'm writing for **pyramid_dares** will not be cronological, but will be along the same time-line. Enjoy!

**Pyramid Level 1** : To you, I will always return

**Prompt**: Phone call.

(1997)

_Looking back to his deputy coach, Adam could feel the blush creeping up from his collar. It wasn't the first time Carlos had caught him looking and Adam had managed to hide it well until now by commenting on the younger boy's technique. But this time as Carlos had turned and caught him watching, those dark eyes had filled with a certain knowledge and the lazy smile that spread across his lips had sent shivers of anticipation down the green ranger's spine._

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(2004)

Adam started sharply at the sudden blare of a car horn behind him. Realizing that the light had turned green, he hastily pulled away from the junction and sped down the road for a few hundred yards before pulling into the hard shoulder and turning off the engine. Resting his head back and fighting the urge to scream his frustration, he forced himself to take deep breaths whilst willing his heart to return to a normal rate.

_Stupid _he inwardly cursed himself. He had known he shouldn't even be on the road in this state, and Tommy had offered to drive him, but impatient with need the young man hadn't wanted the delay.

In his mind's eye, he could see the evening unfolding again.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

_The small room echoed with the sound of merry laughter and the light ring of wine glasses being refilled as the guests settled into their favourite part of the evening. By long standing tradition, Rocky was about to begin his annual retelling of Tommy's twenty-first birthday celebrations, much to the chagrin of their host and his audience waited bright eyed with anticipation. Every year the story changed subtly in the telling; until, instead of just one night's drunken escapade the events of that occasion had become a major production and the stuff of legend amongst the newer ranger teams. The dino rangers had looked upon their mentor with nothing short of awe after the first time they had heard the tale and Tommy had immediately made a mental note to never again allow Rocky the opportunity to regale his charges with stories of their younger days._

_Adam was laughing hard. His sides ached, his cheeks were flushed and his eyes were shining with tears of mirth as he watched his best friend act out a particularly embarrassing moment. He called out with the rest of them for Rocky to 'do the voices' and applauded loudly when the talented comic obliged. His friends noticed, but weren't about to draw attention to it except in the briefest of glances exchanged across the table; it had been a long while since they had last seen the former green ranger in this good a mood. Returning from the kitchen, Haley put a glass of juice down next to him and he acknowledged with a grateful smile. Citing an early start in the morning, Adam had elected to drive home that night and had abstained from drinking._

_Rocky had just gotten to acting out a scene Tommy vaguely recognized and tried to call a halt to, when the phone's incessant summons came trilling from the kitchen._

_Tommy reluctantly went to answer it and for a few moments the hushed sounds of half a conversation floated in to the dining room before he returned, phone in hand and it was clear that something was very wrong; his face beneath the natural tan of his skin was pale. Worried brown eyes flicked around the room as he sought out the person he needed._

"_Adam, it's for you," he indicated, passing the extension over the table to the young Korean, his voice barely above a whisper. At his friend's tone, Adam felt his heart lurch and a slick, oily feeling of foreboding, like the writhing of eels, in the pit of his stomach. "It's Andros," Tommy said. "There's been an accident."_

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(1998)

_Late afternoon light sparked fire across the lawns._

_Back against a tree, fingers of one hand tangled in the soft mass of dark hair that his lover had left unbound at his insistence, Adam opened his mouth to the kiss. His free hand slid under the fitted shirt that the Hispanic boy wore and in the privacy afforded by their proximity began to explore the flat plains of his stomach, teasingly raking his nails over the toned muscle. With a slight hiss of indrawn breath, Carlos pulled back enough to look into the eyes of his partner and Adam could see clearly the emotions that burned in those depths; heat, fire, passion….and something far deeper._

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(2004)

Carlos was hurt.

_Adam clutched the phone a little tighter and the handset creaked in protest. Behind him, the warm cheer that previously filled the room had rapidly faded. He could hear a low humming next to his ear and became dimly aware that Andros was still talking on the other end of the line._

Carlos was hurt.

_Words bled into each other as the Kerovian spoke until they formed a river of sound that just washed over him and his attention focused on the glass of juice someone had refilled and placed within reach. In a corner of his mind he wondered at the incongruity._

Carlos was hurt

"_The doctors say his condition is stable for now," the other man was saying and even through the static of their faulty connection Adam could hear the strain of worry and exhaustion in his voice. "They don't know when he'll wake up though."_

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Hesitantly making his way along the corridor, almost at the door of the private room he had been directed to, Adam now felt reluctant to walk the last few feet.

He passed room number 213; 215, 217; and finally he stood at the door to room 219, looking in at the vulnerable figure in the bed.

There was a certain sense of wrongness about it, like the active young man Adam once knew was not there. In his place was a pale shadow of a man; the stark white pillow case beneath his head only serving to accentuate the unhealthy ashen pallor of his skin. The top of his head was swathed in bandages and even in sleep a troubled frown marred his brow.

With a stealth borne of long years as a ranger, Adam slipped into the room closing the door behind him. He made his way to the bed silently, as if afraid to wake the sleeping man and took a seat beside him.

Without thinking, he took Carlos' hand in his, thumb running lightly over the strong fingers and some idle part of his mind admired the contrast of his pale skin against the other man's warm olive tones. He frowned slightly as he felt the waisting on his ring finger, wondering if Carlos had actually worn the band long enough for that.

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_(2003)_

_It had been Carlos' idea of course. Other couples wore engagement rings as a symbol of their commitment, so why shouldn't they? The younger man had worn a wide band of white gold that shined brightly against the wild honey colour of his skin. It was set with an elestrialite, a clear diamond-like stone, that when tilted in a certain light filled with swirling patterns of green and black; or rather, the ring was set with half an elestrialite. The other half was set into the handsome silver band that Adam had worn, which now sat in a box on the dresser; somewhere he didn't have to look at it all the time._

_Carlos had found the stone on one of his last missions into space; and as he told it, he was already planning on the shuttle back the romantic meal he would cook for the night of his return, when he intended to ask his love to marry him. But before he had even stepped off the shuttle's ramp that night, Adam had all but flung himself into his partner's arms and with the joy of their reunion he had forgotten all his plans of a quiet meal for two and proposed right there beneath the stars._

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Shaking himself out of a mild reverie, Adam looked up as Andros quietly slipped through the door. He was making just enough noise for the older man to know that he was there, whilst respectfully keeping his distance and affecting not to notice the Korean's momentary distraction. Still, Adam couldn't help but comment on the evidence that Carlos had been wearing a ring as if it were the only logical point of conversation.

"He couldn't accept right away that you weren't coming back. He only took it off about a week ago." Softly spoken though it was, the Kerovian's natural straightforward honesty sounded blunt and despite years of experience with the man, Adam had to look closely at him before he could decide if he was imagining the hint of accusation.

He seemed about to say more, when the door opened to admit a nurse who Adam instantly began to interrogate.

"I'm sorry; we can only give that information out to family." The young woman was saying, gracing them both with an apologetic smile.

"I need to know," Adam insisted tightly, nails digging into his palms as he fought to control his frustration.

"And you are…?"

Their conversation was interrupted by a voice from the bed; it was tired and weak, but still carried the conviction the rangers had grown to know so well.

"He's my fiancé" Carlos said.


	2. Here I Am

**Disclaimer: **I have no claim to the power rangers series, characters or anything else recognisable as being a part of the power rangers concept; neither do I have any claim to the song from which the title was borrowed. There is no money being made from this work of fiction.

**A/N: **This chapter is rated for adult situations and contains both slash and het. Thank you to Lilyleia78 for betaing  One minor detail I've taken licence with at this point: I've mentioned Andros has a solar-to all intents and purposes that's a private study/rec room.

**Pyramid Level 2** : Here I am

**Prompt**: Under the Moon

(2003)

On the surface it looked quite ordinary, like a piece of glass that had lost its polish, but bright tongues of emerald flame illuminated the stone from within as Carlos angled it in his hand to catch the light; another turn and the flame burned black as midnight. Their colours, his and Adam's; Carlos smiled at the thought.

Placing a steaming mug of coffee by his friend's arm, Andros slipped into the seat across from him and cradled his mug between the palms of his hands, warming them against the chill conditions of the cabin.

"We'll be landing in an hour's time," the blond observed; a boyish smile lit his face and he glanced significantly at the other man "I bet he's already there!"

Slipping the precious stone into his pocket, Carlos picked up his coffee and returned Andros' look. "He said he'd be there." He tried to respond noncommittally; but a hint of anticipation had crept into his tone, and a grin had started to spread across his lips.

*************************************************

(1997)

_It was his eyes, dark pools of liquid heat, which Carlos first noticed. They were an attractive almond shape; accentuated by the kind of thick lashes that on any other boy would have looked out of place but, for some reason Carlos couldn't fathom, only seemed to add to the young coach's appeal. Those eyes filled his dreams at night and followed him into his waking hours, consuming his thoughts, until he became convinced that his growing attraction to the older youth must be written on his face and clearly visible to any who cared to look._

_And sometimes it seemed as though they did see it, his friends on the soccer team; or at least, they could see that there was now some new reason for his devotion to practice, some new element that fired his performance beyond the already exceptional. They teased him mercilessly, asking who the lucky girl was and between them coming up with names of several pretty classmates they thought might have affected this change; but Carlos only shrugged and smiled. What would they say, he wondered, if they knew he sought to gain the attention of the coach? _

_His efforts even seemed to be working, for increasingly during their practice sessions he would sense the other youth's eyes upon him and turn before Adam had a chance to look away, waiting for the time when his open invitation would be returned in that midnight gaze._

*************************************************

Carlos shouldered his pack and stepped up to the shuttle's ramp preparing to disembark. Casting a look over his shoulder at the chill cabin that had been his home of the past four months, the black ranger was suddenly taken by how much smaller the craft's living-space appeared. During their extended mission in the Delta-5 system, the quarters had seemed more than adequate, but with the removal of their personal effects the little shuttle looked almost lonely as she waited for the military base to collect her.

He sighed as he saw Ashley absently opening cupboards and slowly taking out the supplies stored there, and walked across to put a hand on her arm.

"Andros can do that later," he said softly, "it's time to go home and get some rest."

She looked over her shoulder at him, a tired smile on her lips, and nodded. "Here's to the final survey," she murmured.

"We did a good job," Carlos agreed, gently steering her towards the exit. "Scientists will be kept busy with the data we retrieved for hours." She slapped his arm at the jest but visibly brightened.

"Justin's going to be waiting on those data-pads," she said affectionately, picturing their friend sitting in his office, waiting for confirmation of their safe arrival.

"Something else that can be done in the morning; right now we're getting off this old rust bucket and going home."

"Home," Ashley repeated, "I can't wait to see Mark again and Kayla." Her voice was filled with anticipation as she thought of her little family. At the top of the ramp, she paused and looked critically at her friend. "You ready?" she asked, and Carlos suddenly remembered what he was about to do.

"I'm a little nervous," he admitted.

"Don't be," Ashley told him, placing a supportive hand on his arm. "It's Adam we're talking about here; you love him right?"

"Yes." Carlos didn't have to think about that.

"And he loves you," she affirmed, with the certainty of any married person dealing with a hesitant single. "There's nothing to worry about."

It was past dusk, and a faint zodiacal light could just be seen, rising from the Western horizon to touch the grey-dark silhouettes of trees around their landing site with magic. A harvest moon hung heavily in the chill autumn night, its golden glow a welcome sight to the tired men and women disembarking from the shuttle. Carlos stood in the doorway of the shuttlecraft, the last to leave, from his vantage point looking around at the empty fields surrounding the airbase. It had been four months since he had left and even in that short time, so much had changed. Taking a deep breath of fresh air and hefting his kitbag more comfortably onto his shoulder Carlos stepped out behind Ashley onto the ramp.

The airbase had seemed to be deserted as they piloted across the field that served as a runway, but as soon as Andros turned on the aft lights for disembarking, silhouettes detatched themselves from the darkened aircraft hanger and made their way across to greet them. At the forefront naturally was Ashley's daughter Kayla, her golden locks flying out in a banner behind her as she ran. She barely even broke her pace as she reached the foot of the ramp, and the adults laughed and cheered indulgently as the little girl leapt into her mother's arms squealing her delight. Carlos smiled at the sight before turning his eyes to the assembling group, looking for a certain familiar face in the crowd.

His momentary distraction had given Adam time to barrel his way up the ramp and, before Carlos had time to register what was going on, launch himself at the taller man in playful imitation of little Kayla.

*************************************************

(1998)

_They had spread their blanket beneath a willow for the privacy it afforded them, and Carlos relaxed against the trunk, ostensibly to watch the dappled light filter through the leaves. From beneath his lowered eyelashes, he would occasionally glance at the older youth, watching him fill paper plates with the picnic food they had scrounged from the megaship; and he couldn't help the smile of satisfaction that came with remembering what they had done in Andros' supposedly locked solar._

"_Are you going to help, or just watch me?" Adam asked without turning._

"_Is this real?" Carlos asked, in one of his thoughtful moods._

"_Is what real?"_

"_This. Us" At this, Adam looked over his shoulder at the other youth._

"_Are you asking if we're serious?"_

_Carlos frowned slightly, thinking "I guess I am," he replied_

"_Then yeah, this is real," Adam returned, shuffling back to sit beside his partner so that he could take the larger hand in his. "I love you Carlos, and I hope you feel the same __way." He__ smiled when Carlos squeezed his hand and raised it to brush his lips across the knuckles in a gesture they had often used to express intimacy when no adequate words existed. He leaned against the other boy and murmured into the dark tresses "I will always love you."_

"_Really?" Carlos asked as Adam moved to retrieve their lunch, and the older youth grinned back at him._

"_Of course," he replied, giving Carlos a playful shove "I'll always be yours! Now pass me the napkins."_

*************************************************

A thousand stars shone brightly in the crisp fall air and Adam's eyes reflected their light as he finally released his partner, his cheeks flushed with both the night's chill and merry laughter.

Looking at his partner, Carlos knew this was his moment, but suddenly he realized that he had not planned what he would say. Adam was a romantic; he would want the words of some great poet, would deserve it, but Carlos could not remember any fitting verse of the great men his partner so idolized, no words that could do their love justice. He only knew it felt right when he touched his fingers to Adam's cheek, feeling the warmth there, and whispered in a voice choked with emotion "I love you," pressing the gemstone into his partner's hand. "Marry me".

*************************************************

Moonlight filtered into the room through the thin voile curtains. It danced on the rumpled sheets scattered across the bedroom floor and sparked to life ruby colored flame from the half finished glasses of wine on the dresser.

Feeling the light passage of air through the open window, Carlos stirred and turned to study the sleeping face of his fiancé on the pillow beside him, tracing with his eyes the soft curve of lips and cheek and smiling to himself. Perhaps sensing the attention, Adam's lashes fluttered softly before the dark hazel eyes opened and the corners of his mouth quirked in a sleepy greeting. _So beautiful, _thought Carlos, and he felt the renewed stirrings of desire as he remembered how this man, _his_ man, had promised last night to love him forever with all of their friends gathered around them to hear it.

Cupping his free hand to Adam's cheek, mouth hovering inches from the sensuous Cupid's bow lips, Carlos' let his eyes show all that he was feeling and the other man met his gaze and lay still. The kiss was slow, languid; and as his lips met Adam's, strong capable hands started to trace paths over the contours of his lover's body.

Working lower, his lips blazing a trail of kisses down the curve of Adam's throat, Carlos' fingers found the smooth curve of the other man's waist. He began to caress the sensitive skin, tracing from the line of his hip down his trembling thighs and over his stomach; dexterous fingers almost seeking a rhythm from the sensitized skin, stroking and plucking, dancing in rippling waves. He played his lover's body like a fine tuned instrument, eliciting gasps and sighs, with practiced skill, he found the sweet spots that made Adam's whole being resonate with exquisite sensation.

Pressing his mouth to Adam's shoulder, Carlos lapped at the heated flesh, hearing the first shuddering gasp that indicated his partner's state of arousal. Slowly he worked his way down the other man's sculpted chest, using a series of moist kisses, licks and gentle nips over the smooth white skin, feeling his partner's fingers digging firmly into his back in response even as the Korean arched up to meet him.

Using the experience of all their years together, he stirred the flames of Adam's desire until his lover lay quivering beneath him; and then carefully controlling the tempo of his strokes held him there on the brink of release as he drew forth from him moans and whimpers that rang sweeter than any music he had ever heard.

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On the surface it looks quite ordinary; but light-years from where it began look how brightly it shines!


End file.
